


Kimberly Sala & the Slytherin Crew

by SalaoftheNight



Series: Kimberly Sala & the Slytherin Crew [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst and Romance, Attempt at Humor, Breaking the Fourth Wall, Explicit Language, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Good Slytherins, Humor, Insecurity, Mental Health Issues, POV Female Character, POV First Person, Sibling Rivalry, Slytherin, Swearing, Teen Romance, Video Game: Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-24
Updated: 2019-09-27
Packaged: 2020-09-25 08:24:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 14,249
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20373706
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SalaoftheNight/pseuds/SalaoftheNight
Summary: Having grown up as the unwanted youngest daughter, Kimberly thought she had washed her hands of the favourite son Jacob long after he had disappeared, only to find out that Hogwarts has its own set of problems, the stigma of being Jacob's sibling being a particular thorn in her side. Enter illegal business girl Merula Snyde and her assistant Ismelda Murk who take her under their collective wing and show her there's more to life than clinging on to what others expect her to be. Hilarity, angst and everything in-between ensue.





	1. New Colleagues

Jacob and I were close… once. We were kids, only kids.

Okay, that was a lie. Jacob and I never were close. In fact, Mother (she doesn’t deserve to be called Mum) openly favoured Jacob just because he could carry down the family name. It was the Sala tradition. Quite ironic since ‘Sala’ means ‘peace’. Our family is anything but peaceful unless we’re apart. Father always came back from work and drank till late at night. Mother and Jacob were joined at the hip, talking about this and that – I didn’t know and I didn’t care. I was left to my own devices most of the time anyway. It was like that in the beginning and it wasn’t stopping now.

Then Jacob disappeared.

Mother of course was devastated. She wouldn’t eat or sleep. Father of course did nothing to help her. He just stayed downstairs and drank to his heart’s content. Like a goddamn fish.

Lucky for me, I didn’t have to witness that shitshow for very long. Not long after that, my Hogwarts acceptance letter came in the mail. Finally, an escape from my family! I was so excited when I packed everything I needed to up and go.

What a fucking fool I was to think it was an escape. First my family and now there were the other students whispering about me and keeping away from me. They know about Jacob. Had to be popular in school. Ugh, good lord, do I have to deal with this again?

I picked an empty compartment and sat down. Or more like a whole group of students cleared out when they saw me. I’m not gonna lie and say that didn’t hurt. It did… a bit. And no, I wasn’t crying moments after sitting down, thank you very much.

Just then, a girl with messy brown hair and an orange tuft and black eyeshadow opened my door.

“Hey, this compartment taken?” she asked casually, totally taking me by surprise. No mention of Jacob, no weird look, nothing. Aside from the sharply raised eyebrow, it was an otherwise normal look with a hint of a smile, though she’d probably deck me if I pointed it out.

“Come in,” I said emotionlessly. With that, she looked over her shoulder and motioned for someone behind her to follow her. The girl behind her had greasy black hair, one half of her face completely covered. From what I could see of her face, she also had black mascara, freckles and a long, pointed nose.

“Merula, Snyde family, hopefully fourth-generation Slytherin,” the brown-haired girl said, this time with a smile and a hand for me to shake. My eyebrows raised, I shook her hand.

“Ismelda,” the raven-haired girl said. Just that. No hand to shake. No smile. Nothing. My kinda girl.

“Kim,” I said in response. The two were silent as if expecting more. “Sala.”

“We know,” Ismelda replied. “You and I both have something in common.”

“Really? How come?” I asked, my curiosity piqued.

“We both live in the shadows of our older siblings. We feel unwanted, alone. Nothing matters except this road where we can watch everyone burn for their mistakes.”

“Eh, what Issy’s trying to say is, you’re one of us. Hey, we three ain’t so different. We all got some baggage that keeps us apart from our families, but that baggage is what keeps us together. See?” Merula said in some American accent. Clearly, she watched too much TV.

“Hey, I haven’t thought of it like that,” I said, rubbing my chin in thought.

“I knew you’d see things my way!” Merula said cheerfully.

“You mean, our way?” Ismelda corrected while glaring at Merula. Then I knew who the brains was.

“Hey, I already promised half my chocolate frogs to you. Don’t be greedy.”

“Pft.”

“So anyway, Sala—”

“Kim’s fine.”

“Okay, Kim, stick with us and we can go anywhere,” Merula said while draping one arm around my shoulder.

“Except the mouth of a Chimera. I hear it gets pretty nasty in there.”

I okayed Ismelda’s remark. She just nodded. I half-smiled in acknowledgement. Not a fake half-smile you give to that one aunt who won’t leave you alone. Mine was a half-smile and a raised eyebrow as in saying, “How you doin’?”


	2. The Sorting

So, there we were, three adventurers on our way to… adventure. Ha-ha, if I could only tell you half the stories Merula told me on the way to Hogwarts. Always talking about her and Ismelda and their (or Merula’s) endless conquests. The Chimera story was real by the way. When Merula and Ismelda were seven, they got lost in the forest with only one knapsack of food between them. It was late at night and the two of them were hugging each other for warmth when suddenly this huge Chimera came out of the woods and started growling. They were doing whatever they could to keep quiet and they were doing well until the Chimera sniffed Merula’s back. Merula screamed SOOO LOUD she threw the backpack and ran with Ismelda.

So, we were talking and laughing until we saw this lady in green with a black pointed hat. Welcome to Hogwarts, blah, blah, blah, house points, blah, blah. Ha, the usual school intro drivel.

…Sorting Hat, huh? That’s new. Nothing in my brain the Sorting Hat can’t see? We’ll see about that, I thought.

So we got to the Great Hall where there was food, food and more food! Oh, I couldn’t wait to dig in, but of course there was the Sorting to do first. Everyone’s names were read out in alphabetical order. Boring.

“Ben Copper,” Professor McGonagall, the lady in green, called from her list. A shivering blonde boy trembled as he got on the seat and flinched as the Sorting Hat was placed on his head.

“Hmm, not a difficult one. HUFFLEPUFF!”

The Hufflepuff students cheered as they accepted him into their group.

“Andre Egwu.” A boy with short black hair and a long purple scarf strutted forward. “RAVENCLAW!”

“Hm, surprised he wasn’t sorted into Gryffindor with that big head of his,” I remarked, making Merula snicker. Ismelda covered her hand and giggled silently.

“Penny Haywood.” A cheery blonde girl stepped up. I grimaced at the sight of her; I hated cheery blonde kids. Still do. “HUFFLEPUFF!”

“Tulip Karasu.” A redhead this time. I could’ve sworn I saw a Dungbomb in her pocket. “RAVENCLAW!”

“Rowan Khanna.” A girl with dark skin, long black hair and glasses. Plain Jane. “RAVENCLAW!”

“Jae Kim.” The Korean boy and Merula high-fived each other before he went on. “GRYFFINDOR!”

“Barnaby Lee.” Brown-headed boy jerked his head at the sound of his name before realising he was back in the present and went on the seat. “SLYTHERIN!”

“Ismelda Murk.”

Ismelda looked at Merula then at me. Not to mention nervously. I just gave her a discreet thumbs up. Merula gave her a one-armed hug before sending her off. Ismelda sat on the chair and I could’ve sworn I saw her gulp before the Sorting Hat was placed on her head. Merula and I leaned in, trying to catch what the Sorting Hat had to say, only to jerk back when he yelled, “SLYTHERIN!”

“Wow,” I mouthed then gave another thumbs up to Ismelda, who smiled on the way to the Slytherin table.

“Kimberly Sala.”

Well, it was my turn now. I heard the whole Hall whisper about me, except Merula who gestured for me to move forward. I just took a deep breath, nearly tripped on the stairs before I seated myself and the Sorting Hat was on my head.

“Hmm, very closed off. Very closed off yet very fragile. Yet I see ambition in you: to become your own person, not what others think you should be. Yes, I think it will be… SLYTHERIN!”

The Slytherin table roared with excitement when I came over to sit with them. I sat right next to Ismelda, who in turn gave me a thumbs up.

“Merula Snyde.”

I turned around to look. Merula froze like a statue before going on five seconds later.

“Do you think she’s okay?” I asked Ismelda.

“Hm,” she answered. I didn’t know whether that was a yes or a no and that scared me.

Beads of sweat were starting to show on my forehead. The suspense was—

“SLYTHERIN!”

The Slytherins and I clapped. I may have jumped up and down while pumping my fist before Ismelda had to tell me to stop. I sort of blushed; her hands were on my shoulders. Her hands. Were on. My shoulders. 

They felt… like nothing I’d ever felt. Soft like a blanket.

They felt… lovely?


	3. Grounds for Attraction

“So, the Sala kid’s one of us now, huh?”

“Ugh, I don’t know why she got sorted here.”

“Probably ‘cos no other House would want her.”

Could the other Slytherin First-Years get any more obvious…er? As the Prefect Felix Rosier was leading us to our Common Room, I could feel people watching me, especially the sunny Hufflepuffs who lived next door. I shuddered; no doubt Penny Haystack would be Prefect in no time.

Felix said the password and we entered. Down a marble staircase, we saw how… snug the place was. Comfy black couches and desks and a long table of sorts, no doubt to play chess and plot evil schemes on. I wondered if I would ever be a part of the former. Yes, it should be quite… delightful…

When everyone else went off to their dorms, Felix pulled me aside. “First day nerves, Kimberly Sala?”

Realising he had put me on the spot, I shuffled my feet and mumbled a yes.

“Don’t worry, Felix, she’s with us,” Merula said. Thank god she and Ismelda stayed.

“Look at you three,” Felix crossed his arms like he was proud of us. “Your first day here and already you’re a team. We’re always looking for Slytherins with that kind of initiative.”

“You think we were gonna leave Kim behind? Psh, Felix, you disappoint us!” Merula said with a grin before reaching out her hand for him to shake. “By the way, Merula, Snyde family, official fourth-generation Slytherin at your service.”

Felix laughed, “Don’t get in too much trouble now.”

“No promises,” Merula replied. Ismelda and I exchanged looks, contented ones. Or was it deadpan?

Our assigned dorm had four poster-beds and lucky for me, Merula and Ismelda were my roommates and another girl with huge dreadlocks and glasses and she was reading a book.

“Puffskein or Kneazle?” the girl with glasses asked.

“Uh… Kneazle?” I replied.

“Acromantula or Chimera?” she asked.

“I vote Acromantula. I can still hear Merula’s screams,” Ismelda said.

“Watch it, Issy, or you’ll be getting a quarter of my chocolate frogs, not half,” Merula said. Ismelda shrugged.

“Plus, Acromantulas are much quieter. No doubt they’d make good clients, boss,” Ismelda continued.

“Clients?” This time, the glasses girl looked up, rather annoyed. “For what?”

“This new… potion we’re trying out,” Merula improvised. Quite badly if you ask me. “You know how those little Acromantulas get really thirsty at night. No more glasses of water when you can get a potion that quenches your thirst for decades!”

Glasses just looked at her, completely unimpressed. “I don’t know what you’re planning, but hurt one of those eggs and you’re a dead girl.”

Then she turned to Ismelda and I. “Are you with her?”

“I’m her assistant in all things,” Ismelda stated while Merula made a face behind Glasses’s back. I tried not to snicker when I saw that.

“And I’m her… junior associate… in all things? If that makes sense?” That sounded so much—no, way better in my head.

“You’re not gonna sell me cheap merchandise, are you? Jae tried to sell me some Dungbombs that were for Tonks and Tulip. First day here and they’re already doing business. I want quality over quantity here!” Glasses ranted before straightening herself up. “I’m Liz by the way. You can call me Lizard or Tuttle but that really depends.”

“Uh, Kim, nice to meet you, I guess?” I said. Ugh, those greetings Mother forced me to remember will be the death of me one day.

“Ismelda,” Ismelda said as usual.

“Merula, Snyde family—”

“Official fourth-generation Slytherin. Yeah, heard that for the thousandth time in the Great Hall,” Liz cut her off. Boy, did Merula see red! She almost looked like a red pufferfish!

“The colour is showing in your cheeks, Boss,” Ismelda said.

“Don’t call me Boss. She’s not a customer!” Merula hissed. Ismelda just rolled her eyes.

“Well, as long as you don’t bother me, I don’t care what you do. Good day, I’ll be in the Common Room relaxing with my book.”

With that, Liz strutted off and shut the door behind her. Merula let out a scream that sounded like a lioness giving birth. Don’t ask me how I know that.

“That stupid pasta-haired witch! She gets on my fucking nerves!”

“She said she only likes quality things, Boss.”

“I know that, Issy. I’m not deaf!”

“So, uh, ahem, what about… Jae, was it?” I asked.

“Oh, him, he’s one of my connections,” Merula replied.

“Connections?” I asked.

“In the world of business, you gotta build a clientele AND have a steady network. No one does business alone.”

“What’s a clientele?”

“You know, clients, customers. You gotta tell ‘em what they wanna hear, then they’ll listen. Pamper ‘em a bit and boom, the money lands right in your pocket. You need a little extra cash, don’t you, Kim?”

“You bet.”

“Good, then business is the perfect fit. Well, Issy will fill you in on the rest. I hear a bunch of crabsticks calling my name.”

Merula strutted off as well, though warily ‘cos she wanted to avoid Liz. Ismelda sighed.

“So… now what?” I asked.

“Merula gave the long and the short of it. Basically, we keep to our word when we make deals with other students. Doesn’t matter how. The end result is what’s important, even if we have to lose a leg to a Chimera in the process,” Ismelda replied emotionlessly. “I am just joking, unless of course a Chimera happens to break into the school grounds.”

“That would be… something. So, what do we do now?”

“Classes start tomorrow so whatever we want, I suppose.”

“Wanna do something?”

Ismelda nodded.

“What do you wanna do?”

“Listen to some music, I guess.”

“Ooh, do you have a Walkman?”

“What are you, a Muggle?”

“I’m not gonna lie, I thought I was a Muggle but that’s because I was only taught a spell or two, never an extensive library which I think Rowan has. Okay, that sounded so dumb.”

“It’s okay, my parents never taught me many spells either.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. They were too busy showing off Aliesande to everyone.”

“Allie Sandy?”

“My sister. Ugh, stupid Gryffindors. What do they have that we don’t?”

“Courage?” I said before Ismelda gave me an icy glare. Hoo, boy, that woman can be scary! “I mean, ‘cos Gryffindors are brave!”

“Pft, with barely a brain.”

“Hope you don’t mind me saying so but I think your parents are mad.”

“Finally, someone who agrees,” Ismelda gestured to the ceiling.

“I mean, if they can’t see how incredible you are, they’re nuts!” I added. A hint of pink showed itself on Ismelda’s cheeks.

“That’s… the most… Wow.”

I twirled a lock of my light blue hair which draped past my shoulders. Well, sure wasn’t expecting that.


	4. Period of Adjustment

“Wait, you actually asked the Sorting Hat to change its mind?” I asked Ismelda later when we sat in the Common Room.  
Ismelda raised one eyebrow ever so slightly. “Yeah, I can’t believe it’d actually do that. If I had known sooner, I wouldn’t have been fretting about it.”  
“Lucky I gave you the thumbs up, eh?” I said before showing my thumbs up. Ismelda smiled, but only for a second. “So uh, saw you’d been up there a while, talking to the Sorting Hat and all. Merula and I were wondering what was happening.”  
“I could tell. You weren’t exactly subtle with your leaning in,” Ismelda said with a bit of a giggle. Oh, yeah, looking back, that was embarrassing.  
“Were you nervous?”  
“Yeah.”  
“Me, too. Uh, well, not that I needed to be, but still.”  
Ismelda and I looked away for a bit.  
“So what House was it gonna put you into?” I blurted out. I just had to ask.  
“Think of Hayseed,” Ismelda replied. I could’ve sworn my mouth was so wide open you could’ve fitted a disco ball in there.  
Okay, remember when it was my turn to get Sorted and I said the Sorting Hat said it saw ambition in me? Well, I might have embellished a few details. Let’s just say it caught on to some bits of my home life and that I was looking for an attachment to someone. Well, I can’t be blamed for everything when I wanted to rip the Sorting Hat from my head when it said I could be in Hufflepuff where the sunny kids are. But from the corner of my eye, Professor McGonagall gave this All-Knowing Glare like she was saying, “Miss Sala, you lay one finger on that hat and it’s the dungeons for you.” I don’t know how I managed to do it but I had this panicked conversation. I swear everyone heard me in the Great Hall. They were leaning in for God’s sake! Leaning! In!  
So, giving a sigh of defeat because I’d made such a stooge out of myself, I let the Sorting Hat finally do its job.

And it was Slytherin…

I did it.

I got what I wanted.

For once in my life instead of what everyone else wanted.

But why does it feel like at the same time it wasn’t what I wanted at all?

Back in the present, I realized I had been staring at the table for a good few minutes.  
“Kim, are you okay?” Ismelda asked.  
“Oh, yeahyeahyeah,” I replied quicker than I would’ve liked, wishing the awkwardness would end. I was rubbing the bow on my cheetah-print hairband - that was how anxious I was.  
“So, what’s new, fellas?” Merula asked as she approached us. FINALLY, I WAS SAVED!  
“Oh, Boss, thank god you’re here!” I said in a blind panic.  
“Boss? I like that! Issy, call me Boss from now on.”  
“I already do, Boss.”  
“See? Now you’re catching on. Today we’ll conquer the Courtyard, tomorrow the whole world! MWA-HA-HA!” Merula said with her hands in the air. I swear everyone was staring at us and I wanted so badly to make my hairband bow bigger so it could’ve covered my face. “Well, what’re you all standing there for?”  
Then she grabbed our hands and led us outside.

“Boss, remind us again why we’re at the Corridor. I thought we were gonna be at the Courtyard,” I said while Merula looked around warily.  
“Shhh, I wanted them to think we’d be at the Courtyard. Some sap will make a fool out of himself if he ever reported us over something we didn’t commit,” Merula replied. “Once our clients are here, let me do the talking. Watch and learn.”  
“Okay, Boss,” I said on impulse while mulling over the facts that she thought only boys would report her and that her last instruction was a waste of words; since I was just a rookie, all I could do was watch and learn. Ismelda was keeping an eye out, too, just for your info.  
Not long after, a girl who looked like a pink porcupine and the Dungbomb redhead girl showed up.  
“Wotcher, Merula.” Porcupine said with a smile more crooked than a stray cat’s tail. To top it off, no pun intended, she had a yellow Hufflepuff top which was ripped at the sleeves. I don’t know if she was trying to be cool but I didn’t like her one bit, especially her face. It was like she had swapped faces with a 40-year-old clown. Man. Man clown.  
“Hi, Merula,” Dungbomb girl said. Her eyebrows were bit too short for my liking but she had a nice smile.  
“Tonks. Tulip,” Merula nodded to Porcupine and Dungbomb respectively.  
“I see you took Kimberly Sala under your wing, Blackbird,” Tulip laughed.  
“Blackbird?” I asked.  
“That’s what Boss’s name means,” Ismelda clarified.  
“Oh.”  
“Tulip Karasu. I’d shake your hand but I’m still stinking from the last Dungbomb,” Tulip said, making me grimace. Apparently, she found that hilarious. “Your face!”  
Tonks—ah, that reminds me of the word ‘Trunks’. Uh, okay, let’s see… ‘Elephant’ – no… ‘Dumbo’ – no, her ears are too average… Oh, fuck it, I’m sticking with ‘Porcupine’. Anyway, Porcupine laughed, too. I swear her eyebrows shot up so high they disappeared into her hair. Then I thought of getting a pair of tweezers to fix her eyebrows. My mind was random like that. Still is.  
“Wotcher, Kimberly.”  
“Hi,” I said, trying to wipe the grimace off my face. “So, what’s on the agenda, Boss?”  
“You got the BobaMon cards yet?” Merula asked Tonks in a low serious whisper.  
“Yeah, what about the Limited-Edition Super Snake Gummy Worms?” Tonks replied, taking me completely aback. Like, literally; I was backed up against Ismelda who was as red as a tomato. Out of anger or something, I didn’t know at the time. I had a hard time straightening myself up as Merula and Tonks exchanged packages.  
“Nice doing business with you,” Merula said.  
“Likewise,” Tonks replied.  
“That’s it?” I asked, wide-eyed.  
“No, watch and learn,” Ismelda said under her breath.  
“By the way, Jae’s got a new shipment of Amortentia ready by the docks. He’s waiting for your signature.”  
Okay, remember when I said I was taken aback? This time, I was completely taken aback. Amortentia – that’s a LOVE POTION! I found an empty bottle of one in my mother’s dresser. Don’t ask me how it got there – I’m just as clueless as you are.  
“Kim, your mouth,” Ismelda commented before closing it.  
“It’s… a love… potion?” was all I could say.  
Merula looked at me and flicked her hair, raised an eyebrow and looked deep into my eyes. “Yeah…”  
I don’t know how else to say I freaked out but, I freaked out. “Is she gonna use it on me?”  
“No, Kim, Boss is joking… I think,” Ismelda muttered. “Anyway, she and Tonks are speaking in code.”  
“Oh, ohhhhh, riiiight.”


	5. Flashback

You’d think by my wishing to be in any other House besides Hufflepuff, I’d have known what I was getting into.

Well, I was eleven so obviously I didn’t.

Wait.

What was that?

I missed a lot of details? Like what?

My trip to Ollivanders?

Gringotts?

Getting school supplies?

Sigh, okay, I wasn’t going to talk about those things because… of what happened. Jacob this, Jacob that and whatnot. …Fine, I will talk about them but only ‘cos you asked nicely.

In fact, Merula, Ismelda and I were walking over to the Training Grounds for the “Amortentia.” On the way, we decided to talk about how we got to Hogwarts. When it came to my turn though, boy, was I a wreck. And by ‘wreck,’ I mean… you know what? I’m just gonna put it in dialogue form.

“So, how’d you get your wand, Kim? I mean, what is it?” Merula asked.

“Uh, ebony, twelve inches, dragon heartstring,” I replied uneasily, the memories of that place seeping into my head. I shut my eyes, hoping they would pass.

“Kim, are you okay?” Ismelda asked. I didn’t answer, couldn’t answer. My eyes were too tightly shut as the memories played out in my head.

Mother and I marched uniformly through Diagon Alley. One foot in front of the other. Not one word was spoken casually between us. She just looked ahead with no emotion on her face. All I had to do was copy her and she wouldn’t find something about me to criticize. Like my light blue hair. She threw a fit when she saw me with it for the first time, saying no daughter of hers should have blue hair and what her friends would have thought if they’d known. But she didn’t make me dye it black again. It just stayed blue and we never spoke of it again.

Lin. That’s my mother’s name; Lin. Lin Zhang is a particularly cold woman. How she and Father ever got married is beyond me. She’s a witch and he a Muggle and later Jacob and I were born, that’s all there was to it.

We got to Ollivanders and this man with puffy white hair asked us what we wanted. I looked at Mother, who said I wanted a wand because I was going to Hogwarts. In his own animated way, the man brought a few boxes to the counter. I leaned forward to take a closer look but Mother held me back. It wasn’t proper for a lady to lean forward, she said with just that one action. I gulped; no doubt I was gonna hear Mother tell at least one person about this and make me feel guilty and even more worthless than I already felt.

I straightened myself up and walked closer to the counter like a proper lady, and tried wand after wand. I don’t know why that man preferred to comment on things but he did. Kept bringing up Jacob’s name with every. Single. Wand. Mother’s eyes turned glassy and wet. The sound of Jacob’s name, her favourite child, from the mouth of that man, a man who didn’t even know him. As if she hadn’t suffered enough; it was bad enough that Jacob disappeared and made headlines with his search for…

Mother forbade me to read The Daily Prophet from then on. Whenever she saw an article about Jacob, she would rip it apart and throw it in the fire. Sometimes, I would see her talking to no one, ranting about all the years she had spent indulging him and raising him like a little emperor, only to be deserted. In China, being unfilial is the worst crime, which Jacob had exactly done.

Worst of all, Jacob had shamed the family name. As far as she was concerned, he was no longer her son. I should’ve been happy because now I’m her only child, right? Wrong. Now she wouldn’t even look at me. Like I’m just a ghost.

It was a relief when I found the ebony wand, because Mother put the money on the counter and left, with me struggling to keep up with her. She was crying, her sniffles giving her away. She was trying so hard to avoid anyone who would look at her while at the same time getting the supplies I needed for school. I don’t know how she did it, but she did. She had dried her tears and bought my school supplies all according to plan.

Then came the time to board the train at Platform 9 ¾.

Mother just looked at the train as the other children hugged their parents then went on-board. I looked at the other children curiously. They were happy with their parents. It wasn’t right. Not right at all. Hugs and kisses, they revolted me, revolted Mother though she didn’t show it. I could see it in her eyes though.

“Have a good year,” that was all she said before leaving right there and then.

I was alone. Again. In a place I was unfamiliar with. The dread was familiar to me. I was alone. Things were up to me from then on.

Slowly as if I was just waking up, I opened my eyes.

A high whimper escaped my lips. I hated that sound; it embarrassed Mother especially if I ever cried in public. I was the embarrassment. I tried to fight my tears but my hands, they couldn’t move the way I wanted them to; they shook until they were too soft to wipe anything away.

What was I doing? Was I just one big wimp? Was I weak? Did the Sorting Hat take pity on me and put me in Slytherin just to make me feel better about myself?

Well, curse you, Sorting Hat, because I don’t! I wanted so badly to scream that out but my lower jaw quivered too much. I wanted to sit down on the grass and rock back and forth. The motion was good to me. And I wanted to rub my hairband bow because it felt good against my fingers.

Instead, I felt arms.

I wanted to run. To pull away and run off. But to where, I didn’t know. It felt… stifling. Like I was being constricted to something I didn’t want a part in.

When I saw Ismelda’s face though, something sort of clicked. It felt… blank. Like an ocean with nothing going on. Something just clicked. Ismelda. She made me feel good, gave me something I had hated the other children at the train station for.

She just let me cry. Didn’t ask for anything. She was there, that’s all there was, except Merula who just stood there with a sad look in her eyes as if she was about to cry herself. Then she knelt and put a hand on my back. I flinched and she pulled it back.

“I’m sorry, Kim,” Merula said and ruffled her hair. “I shouldn’t have brought it up. I’m such an idiot.”

What could I say? I couldn’t say I didn’t forgive her; she didn’t know. It wasn’t her fault. “You didn’t know, okay?” I mumbled.

“Whatever happened, you don’t have to tell us,” Merula continued, “You don’t have to feel like you need to either. I’m sorry I brought this up again.”

I nodded. It was my way of saying I forgave her. “I’m okay. We can go now.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll keep going. You two can stay here. I think you need to talk. Besides, I don’t want to keep anyone waiting,” Merula said nervously.

“Okay,” I said.

When Merula went off, Ismelda continued to hold me. It was something I had wanted for so long. To just… be held.

“Are you gonna be okay?” Ismelda asked me.

I nodded even though it was a lie. I didn’t know how long I was gonna be okay. “…Probably.”

“…You’re a terrible liar.”

I let out a little laugh. I couldn’t help it. “How’d you know I was lying?”

“Takes one to know one.”

That was when we both laughed.

“Where have you been all my life?” I asked. “How did you know how to be so nice? I thought…”

“When someone’s nice to you, you wanna do the same. Just like you’ve been to us.”

“I-I’ve been?”

“I know what it’s like to feel second-best. I don’t wanna wish that feeling on anyone,” I felt Ismelda’s fingers caress my cheek as she brushed back a lock of my hair, and I felt myself going red, “and, there’s a sea-haired witch I wanna get to know even better.”

I blushed even more. What did I do to deserve such a lovely girl in my life?

“Okay, Issy and Beetroot, let’s keep going!”

Make that two.

From the corner of my eye, I swear I saw a pink tinge on Ismelda’s face.


	6. Meet the Gang

I tried to adjust. I really, really tried. It wasn’t my fault I couldn’t see Dara Grey’s black cat when I accidentally sat on her. It was a black cat sleeping on a black couch! How was anyone supposed to see her? Well, anyway, Millicent didn’t like me and neither did her owner for that matter who kept screeching to the rest of the House that I was an animal torturer. Luckily, some of the others thought she was mad. But of course, there were others who did believe her so, what can you do? Sure, she made me mad enough to want to hex her but… sigh, I didn’t know any hexes then so… yeah, I just left it.

Merula and Ismelda told me she wasn’t worth the trouble for at least another few years; I’d have learned some hexes by then. But then, Felix happened to hear this and strictly warned us not to do anything foolish, because every year Slytherin always strives to win the House Cup by any means necessary. You just had to make sure nothing traced back to you, something Jacob was an amateur at.

So, what else could I do beside explore Hogwarts? Besides, I needed some time away. Past the kitchens and Hufflepuff House, I just decided to go upstairs, going nowhere in particular until I reached the East Towers where Gryffindor and Ravenclaw House were. So, the lions and eagles were upstairs while the badgers and serpents were downstairs. Hm.

“Are you lost?” a boy asked from behind me, scaring me. I turned around and saw a pale-skinned boy with short brown hair. Piercing blue eyes, too, but that’s not the point. I looked at the floor and rubbed my arm in embarrassment.

“No?” I answered. The boy chuckled.

“Samuel Morgan,” he said and I shook his hand rather hesitantly.

“Uhhh, you probably already know me.”

“Yeah, everyone does,” he said rather casually. I grimaced subtly at this.

“What do you want, Morgan?” I asked irritably.

“Oh, was just gonna show you around, that’s all, if you’d let me,” Morgan said with a rather toothy grin.

“Show her around?” a girl asked.

I turned around again. “Oh, great, I got a welcome committee now? Wait, I know you! You’re Rowan Khanna!”

“Is it that obvious?” she asked.

“You smell like trees,” I remarked.

“That is because I grew up in a tree farm.”

Then I imagined little her with her parents dressed like Old MacDonald while the nursery rhyme played in my head. “Okay…”

“You’re making quite a ruckus around here, Sala. The whole of Gryffindor is buzzing about you,” Morgan said. What kind of a name is Samuel anyway? It sounds like something you puke out when you’ve had a cough.

“Technically, Gryffindors wouldn’t buzz; they’d roar about things, something they do at even two in the morning, I heard. Thank goodness I brought earplugs,” Rowan babbled.

“Made of what? Cauliflower?” Morgan clutched his gut and laughed. I have to admit, I did find that funny.

“Laugh all you want. We’ll see how you cope at two in the morning,” Rowan scowled.

“Well, you two seem to be having fun,” I sneered. Morgan blushed.

“Ick, with a Ravenclaw? Uh-uh, no thank you, got no time for know-it-alls,” Morgan waved dismissively.

“Well, I never!” Rowan replied indignantly, her cheeks puffed up.

“If I wanted a prissy lecture, I’d have brought a dictionary. Later, losers!” Morgan said.

“Well, he’s nice,” I said with dripping sarcasm, my arms crossed.

“Hmph! If by ‘nice’, you mean ‘completely insufferable and pea-brained,’ then you’re right,” Rowan replied. I nodded and thought I kinda liked this girl. As a friend, okay? Don’t get any ideas!

“Well… shit happens.”

Rowan inhaled loudly, flaring her nostrils. I swear she was like a dragon about to breathe fire.

“Do you do that every time someone swears?” I just had to ask.

“Yes.”

“Uh, could you not? You look like you just smelled someone’s fart.”

“There is a reason why they call it foul language.”

I had nothing to say until I got the joke. “You’re bloody terrible.”

“I know.”

“You know, I think we could be friends,” I said, then I saw Rowan smile goofily, “NOT best friends – position’s already filled.”

“We could be good friends? Please say we can be good friends.”

“Did you just think that out loud?”

“Oh, I did, didn’t I? Dear gracious me!”

“Uhhhh, why don’t we stick with… ‘acquaintances’?”

“Oh, yes. ‘Acquaintance’ is good.”

“Well, since we’re acquaintances now, why don’t we do something? Like, I dunno… play Gobstones or something.”

“Oh, this is so exciting! We can read my favourite books in the library or talk about growing trees and what’s more, we can…” Rowan prattled on and on while it was my turn to look like I had smelled someone’s fart.

Well, after I managed to get Rowan off my back by saying I had to floss my pet Crup, I saw a cat. A cute grey tabby cat! It was so adorable I couldn’t resist crouching down. Until that cat transformed into an old woman.

“Professor McGoo—I mean McGonagall. Professor McGonagall.”

“It’s good to know I have at least one admirer, Miss Sala. But I would advise keeping the crouching to a minimum.”

A couple of other kids snickered as I got up and dusted myself off.

I continued exploring until I walked outside and just like that, a couple of students whizzed past me on their brooms.

“JACKASSES!” I shouted after them.

One of them must have heard me because he stopped right in front of me. I remembered him from the Sorting Ceremony; he was the only one of us who wore a Pride of Portree scarf.

“Andre Egg-woo?” I asked.

“In the adorable flesh!” the other boy said after he pulled up beside him. He had a mop of brown hair and his crooked nose was dead center… for laughing at.

“Give it a rest, Diego. We almost killed her,” Andre said before looking at me. “Yeah, sorry about that, Kimberly.”

“Just Kim.”

“Okay, Kim, please don’t tell anyone what we did. Whoever’s in charge of Flying Class will have a fit,” Andre pled.

“Okay…” I just said.

“Thanks, Kim! You’re the best friend ever!” Andre said and patted my back. I froze a little.

“Hey, fly dorks!” a ginger-haired boy flew down on his broom. God, I think if anyone saw me, they’d think those three were proposing to me.

“Charlie!” Diego said gleefully before patting him on the back. “Glad the Whomping Willow didn’t hit you on the way out!”

“You told me there was a dragon egg near there!”

“And why do you keep listening to a word I say?”

I shook my head; there were many times Jacob tricked me like that. Do I wanna talk about it now? No. “So you’re the Three Stooges, I presume?” I pointed to Andre. “Moe.” Then Diego. “Larry.” And Charlie. “And Shemp.”

“Well, at least I’m not Curly,” Charlie said.

“Yeah, just not on your head,” Diego replied and guffawed while Charlie playfully punched his arm and the two started to wrestle. I couldn’t help but crack up at Diego’s joke.

Andre shook his head. “Those two dumb clucks. I never get a moment’s peace with them.”

“Why? Is that good or bad?” I asked.

“Both. But without them life would be boring.”

“Yeah, I feel the same way about my two new friends.”

“I can see that. I have to say you and Ismelda are the most fashionable newcomers I’ve seen.”

I raised my eyebrows then I remembered our hairstyles. Not every day you see a girl with blue hair and a hairband that looks like spotty bunny rabbit ears and another girl with black hair covering half her face, though I’m not sure about the latter.

“And just how many newcomers have you said that to?” I couldn’t help but play along.

“Oh, just a couple.” And we both shared a good laugh. “Oh, we have to get the brooms in before someone notices!”

“Yeah, like Peeves! See you later!” Diego said before they all buggered off.

“Bye, I guess.”

I got to thinking how those could make good clients for Merula’s business when suddenly, I heard a lot of barking and hissing coming my way. A wrinkly brown puppy came yapping while a brown tabby cat with red eyes chased it. I don’t know what that dog did to piss the cat off but what I know is you never piss off the pussy… cat. Ugh, stupid double entendres when I least need them.

“YOU FILTHY, FLEA-RIDDEN MUTT! GET BACK HERE WITH MRS. NORRIS!” an old man with long grey hair came bolting after them. The last time I checked, it was the cat doing the chasing, not the dog.

Just when I thought I’d seen it all, a huge hairy man who looked like he hadn’t showered lumbered towards them. “FANG! OVER HERE, BOY!”

The puppy dashed towards him and cowered behind his legs, the poor slobbering beast. As for the cat, she didn’t even seem to notice the great wall of hair in her way.

“I’ll get that dog yet, Hagrid!” the thin man cried, his fist in the air. Geez, when did he turn into Cruella?

“Ye’ll do no such thing, Mr. Filch, sir! Fang wouldn’t even harm a fly!”

“That’s what he wants you to think! He’d been terrorizing poor Mrs. Norris! Didn’t he, Mrs. Norris?” Mr. Filch said before carrying the purring cat away and he started cooing to her like she was a baby. Hagrid rubbed his temples, clearly trying not to be pissed off.

Note to self: Never go near Mr. Filch or Mrs. Norris, I thought before making a clean exit. I thought of wanting to meet Hagrid, too, but you know what they say about pissing off a slumbering giant.

At the Courtyard, I saw a girl all dressed in blue painting while a boy with bicoloured hair looked on. Both Ravenclaws. Well, I couldn’t help being a little curious so I decided to sneak a peek.

“Did anyone ever teach you to knock?” the boy asked without even looking at me.

“Certainly,” I said before lightly knocking on his head. The girl tried not to laugh, but failed miserably, dropping her paintbrush.

“Hey, cut it out!” the boy tried to whack my hand away.

“Sorry, just trying to make friends!” I joked before stopping. Just so you know, I wasn’t usually that happy; I just went with the moment.

“You’re a Slytherin and you want to make friends with no ulterior motive up your sleeve? That’s new. Only kidding!” the girl quipped.

“Oh, thank god,” I replied in relief. Partly in relief.

“Honestly, I’m relieved. Slytherins, I’ve heard, can be very mean. I’m Badeea, Badeea Ali,” Badeea said and we shook hands.

“Cool,” I replied.

“Talbott, Talbott Winger,”

“Winger? Like you spend your life winging it? Or winging wound the woses? That kinda thing?” All that rolled off my tongue. Badeea put her hands on her knees as she bent over chuckling.

“So Slytherins can have a sense of humour,” Badeea remarked.

“So I’ve felt,” Talbott said, pointing at his head.

“Yeah, by the way how’d you get this painting done so quickly? You waste no time at all, do you?” I asked.

“Absolutely none. Once an idea’s in my head, it begs to be poured onto the canvas,” Badeea replied, waving her hands into an arch-like motion like a rainbow.

“Poured? It looks dabbed to me.”

“Not literally, Kimberly,” Badeea chortled. Honestly, it felt great to make someone happy. I mean, not because I was associated with Jacob, but only me. Me. I poured on the charm, I was making friends, I was on my way to being the best witch ever!

“Of course, the cursed vault kid would be in the Courtyard showing off.”

And then chubby, bob-haired Dara showed up again. Talbott stepped forward to confront her but I stopped him; I didn’t need protecting.

“What do you want, Grey?” I asked in a tired voice.

“Please, you think you can be the best witch ever? Even a rock has more charm than you,” Dara scowled, which reminded me of a rottweiler in need of Preparation H.

“Look, for the last time, I didn’t know Millicent was there!”

“You still sat on her, you cat-killer!”

“Cat-killer? Okay, one: Last time I checked, Millicent was still alive. Two: Who in their right mind leaves their kitten unattended?”

“Sometimes I don’t see Laith for days at a time but he always comes back,” Badeea interrupted.

“Not now, Badeea, and not helping!” I exclaimed. “And also, if it had been Felix who sat on Millicent, I bet you would’ve let him off!”

“Duh, because he’s the Prefect!”

“So, Prefects can do what they like? Hmph, not that much different in my apartment. Either way, what kinda jerk leaves their pet alone?”

“Did you just call me a jerk?”

“Did you hear me stutter?”

“Oh, I’m going to tell on you!”

“Yeah, to who?”

“To Professor Snape! He’ll sort you out!”

“Sort me out? Ha! What do you think this is, kindergarten?”

“I… I’m going to tell on you!” With that, Dara ran off. Fucking pussy.

“I think you might’ve made things worse,” Talbott commented.

“Not that hard, considering she talks like a five-year-old,” I retorted.

“Well, just hope no one takes her side,” Badeea added. “I think the last thing you want is for the whole of Slytherin to turn against you.”

“Ha, not Merula and Ismelda. They worship me,” I said on impulse. I know I was exaggerating but I needed to make a point.

“I’m just saying it’s better to be safe than sorry,” Badeea shook her head. “You don’t want to be known as Jacob’s sister the troublemaker, do you?”

“Tempting,” I said, relishing the thought of me ruling the entire school, crown and all.

“Kimberly, this is serious,” Talbott chimed in. “If you don’t watch it especially in the pit of snakes you’d been sorted into, you’ll never hear the end of it.”

“Don’t worry about me. I got Merula and Ismelda by my side. They know what to do.”

“Whatever you say, Kimberly,” Talbott said, rolling his eyes.

“We just hope you know what you’re doing,” Badeea added with a sigh.

I left the Courtyard feeling… I don’t know, secure? Like Talbott and Badeea knew a lot more than they let on and they wanted to help me. But I shrugged it off on the outside like a Slytherin would. I definitely wanted to see them again though, maybe to get to know them a bit more. They seemed to be interesting people and I noted that I might need their help at some point.

I was just about out when I bumped into a boy who screamed and shivered. I flinched as a reflex and didn’t have time to react when who should come up in my face but Penny?

“Hey, you! What do you have against Ben? Hm?” Her face was inches from mine. It was a total invasion of my personal space and I didn’t like it at all.

“It was an accident!”

“Yeah, like you! Now why don’t you shag off and leave Ben alone? Cursed vault kids, you can never trust them,” Penny said to me then to Ben who was still shivering like my aunt’s pet Chihuahua. Only difference was Ben wasn’t pissing himself.

“Right, I’m leaving,” I relented.

“You and your brother can go to Azkaban!”

Well, that was pleasant. Penny wasn’t worth my time any more than Dara was. Now I knew why Ismelda wanted nothing to do with Hufflepuff and I was so glad I disliked Penny enough to be sorted into Slytherin. At least Ismelda and I had each other and Merula, too.

Then I thought, wait… Penny called me a cursed vault kid. Kids, to be precise. So that meant Jacob had something to do with cursed vaults. But the thing was… How?


	7. The Search Begins

I got back to the Common Room in search of Ismelda and Merula, only to find out they had gone “a while ago” which was not much to go on. I sighed and headed out again. I had to tell them about the cursed vaults. Anyone who knew would’ve been great. Just not Penny. Mm-mm, no way. That girl had a shorter fuse than a New Year firecracker.  
Hmm, so where to start? The Great Hall again maybe? Fine, here we go again, I thought as I retraced my steps.  
Then suddenly I bumped into another ginger-haired teen; that man was Bill whose hair swayed with the nonexistent wind. Bill “Pretty Boy” Weasley.  
“Dude, watch where you’re going!” I snapped without looking at him.  
“Sorry, I think both our heads were in the clouds. Well, at least mine was. You’re too short for that.”  
I looked up at him; was this guy trying to be funny? “As much as I enjoy your company, Cousin Itt, I’m looking for my two friends.”  
“Mum always did want me to have a haircut. What do your friends look like?”  
“How would you know? We’re Slytherins. You’re a Gryffindor.” Okay, just to be fair, I did not know how rude that sounded.  
“Let me guess. First-Years, one popular, one not. I think I saw them at the Owlery.”  
“You don’t even know what they look like.”  
“One with dark hair and one with brown hair and a bit of orange on top.”  
“Wha? How did you know?”  
“You three were joined at the hip back at the Sorting Ceremony. And you’re not exactly hard to find,” Bill said while pointing at his own hair, alluding to my own bright blue hair. “Anyway, last time I checked, those two were heading to the Owlery, just past the Training Grounds and Hagrid’s hut.”  
“Thanks,” I was on my way before I stopped. “Hey, uh, I didn’t catch your name.”  
“Bill Weasley,” he said.  
“Kim Sala,” I said casually. “See you around, I guess.”  
“See you, too.”

I ran off while the thought of the cursed vaults stayed fresh in my mind. Surely Merula and Ismelda had to hear about this. Who knew what they’d make of it? Maybe the vaults had treasure, Galleons so we can be RICH! FILTHY RICH! Cursed vaults, cursed vaults, cursed vaults… hey, is it me or did they have to explicitly state they were cursed vaults instead of coming up with a cool name? Like the Rancid Aching Jaws of Death? Or, the Magic Munchers? Or, the Moment of Wreckoning? C’mon, you gotta admit those are cool!  
By the time I got to the Owlery, I found Merula and Ismelda, but something was different. They were talking about something but when they both turned to look at me, Ismelda was deep red in the face. At first, I thought she had been crying but when I looked closer, I could see she was blushing.  
“Uh, am I interrupting something?” I asked.  
“Kind of,” Merula said quite sheepishly. “I’d rather not talk about it.”  
“Um… okay,” I replied, nearly losing my concentration, “oh, I’ve got something to tell you guys.”  
“Yes, what is it?” Merula asked.  
I then whispered to them. “Penny was talking about cursed vaults. Do you know anything about them?”  
“Cursed vaults?” Merula repeated then exchanged worried glances with Ismelda.  
“What? What are you not telling me?” I probed.  
“I heard no one’s ever come out alive while searching for them,” Ismelda said.  
“I thought you said you liked to see the whole world burn for their mistakes,” I said, referring to our first meeting on the train.  
“I sometimes say things I don’t mean. You should try it sometime!” Ismelda snapped.  
“Whoa, whoa, where did that come from?” I said, my hands covering my face in defense.  
“Kim, for the sake of your own wellbeing, do not ever think about the cursed vaults again. Stay away from it, you understand?” Merula said sternly while pointing at me.  
“Uh…” my eyes shifted left to right, “I just wanted to know.”  
“Better for all of us if you don’t,” Merula replied. “Now c’mon, if you want to know more about business, you have to stick with us.”  
They walked off, expecting me to follow them.  
But I lingered.  
I know I shouldn’t have and that they were my friends. But now I was curious. What was it about the cursed vaults that made Ismelda and Merula act that way? Did something happen to them which had to do with the cursed vaults? Did either of them lose someone like I did Jacob? Were other people with Jacob in their search and one or more of them were related to Merula and Ismelda? So many questions flooded my head.  
“KIM!” Merula yelled.  
“Huh?” I snapped out of my thoughts.  
“C’mon or we’re leaving without you!” Merula ordered.  
I decided to follow this time. One thing was for sure though: If I wanted to find out more about the cursed vaults, I had to be discreet.  
Without their help.

Now before you think I was an idiot—which, don’t get me wrong, I was a bit of at the time—I only wanted to know what the cursed vaults were. I wasn’t actually thinking of going inside them, though the thought did eventually come to mind.  
I resolved to visit the library after my business lesson in the Room of Requirement. Apparently, it was a room that could turn into whatever we wanted if we paced back and forth past its wall while concentrating on what we needed. This time, it was only Merula who did so. Kind of a good thing then, too, because I was still thinking of the cursed vaults and God forbid the room actually turn into one of them.  
“How did you know this room existed, Merula? It’s only our first day here,” I asked.  
“Got a connection from a previous student.”  
“That’s smart,” I commented, only to be met with complete silence as Merula and Ismelda approached their desks and took their seats. Taking my cue, I sat at the empty desk in front of theirs.  
“Okay, guys, this is very important so I need you both to listen up,” Merula began sternly. “It may only be our first day here but we have a lot of ground to cover if we’re going to meet our goals.”  
“Yes, Boss,” Ismelda and I replied.  
Merula walked over to the chalkboard and wheeled it over until it was in front of us. “From what information I got, the first cursed vault is right here in this school.”  
“Wha?” I nearly yelled. “But, but you said we—”  
“We never talk about the cursed vaults in public places. That’s why we had to shut you up back at the Owlery,” Ismelda said with a frown. “If you got in trouble for spreading the word about this, you’d be more of a liability than an accomplice.”  
I nodded in understanding while trying to process this.  
“Right, before I was so rudely interrupted, word of mouth is an important tool so always be aware. Kim, you did the right thing in telling us about this. You didn’t tell anyone about this, did you?”  
“No, but Bill told me where you were.”  
“Bill who?”  
“Bill Weasley, the Gryffindor Prefect.”  
“Hm, and you told us Penny was the one who told you about the cursed vaults.”  
“Yeah, along with some choice words about Jacob but that’s beside the point.”  
“That’s perfect.”  
“How?”  
“Kim, before you, there were only two of us. We were all we had. But with you in the picture, we have more of a chance.”  
“At what?”  
Ismelda placed a hand on my shoulder, prompting me to look at her. “Kim, we need your help to search for the cursed vaults.”


	8. The Plan

“_Me?_” I jerked my shoulder away from Ismelda’s touch. “You need my help in search for the vaults?”

  
“Yes, Kim,” Merula replied.

“But why me?” I stood up this time, stressed at the pressure. I only wanted to find out what the cursed vaults were, not how to get in them.

“If we find the vaults, we might find your brother,” Ismelda said.

“I don’t care about Jacob!” I blurted out. Ismelda’s eyebrows rose while Merula scrutinized my face as if there was something wrong with me.

“You don’t?” Merula asked.

I couldn’t answer. How could I have done it without making myself sound like I was the lout?

_Jacob does more for this house than you! You don’t do anything so don’t be selfish!_

_The only reason I buy you clothes is because no child of mine wears hand-me-downs like a poor child on the streets. You have no idea how lucky you are._

_The only reason your father swears so much at Jacob is because he expects a lot from him as do I. He will graduate first in his class, find a high-paying job so we can finally move to a better place, marry a beautiful woman I will choose for him and give me a grandson I will dote on for him. You, you’ll be lucky if you can find a rich man who’d look twice at you._

Mother’s voice could’ve gone on and on in my head if Ismelda hadn’t shaken me.

“Kim, you were looking into space again,” she said.

If there was one adage Mother drilled into my head over and over again, it was that family ugliness should never be aired in public. Jacob had clearly done this by making headlines in the Daily Prophet. But for what? The ugliness had already been aired anyway, so there was no point in hiding anything, not to mention that Mother didn’t speak to me anymore.

“Have you read the Daily Prophet?” I asked.

“Only babies wouldn’t and that’s because they don’t know how to read yet,” Merula replied. “Jacob Sala really made a mess of things.”

“No shit, you should’ve seen the way Mother broke down. Actually, thank God you weren’t there. You would not have wanted to see it. The only rooms she didn’t wreck were Jacob’s and mine, and that’s because I was in my room at the time. Father just ignored the entire thing. Thing was, if you ever get in Mother’s way when she’s on a tirade, get ready for a serious beating.” That was when I realised I had added more fuel to the ugliness fire. “Sorry, you shouldn’t have heard that.”

“Better now rather than later,” Ismelda advised, her arms crossed. “We need all hands on deck for this job.”

“The point is, we’ve all lost people we’ve cared about to the cursed vaults and it’s our job to bring them back and better yet, have the vaults destroyed,” Merula pointed out while pointing at the table she was leaning on.

“What about the code-sharing and trading?” I asked.

“That’s a side job. We need all the money we can get,” Merula answered. “It’s a bonus if we get anything that could help with the vaults.”

“Like what?”

“Spells, curses, jinxes, anything that may be taught in our Fifth or Sixth Year but we can’t wait.”

I had to admit, Merula had a point. I may not have cared about Jacob but when it involved other people’s loved ones, I had to agree. I’m not heartless.

“So, what do we have so far?” I asked.

Ismelda pulled out a notebook riddled with coloured tags, pulled an orange one and flipped to the desired page.

“Wait, are you sure you know how to work these spells? What if it backfires?” I just had to ask.

“What’s life without a little risk, Debbie Downer?” Merula replied. Okay, that kinda hurt.

“We’ve got Relashio, Meteolojinx, Flipendo – we still need to improve on that, Tarantellagra…” Ismelda went down the list.

“So, which one do we do first?” I blurted.

“Slow down, Kim. The next thing I want to go over is recruiting other students. We need as many as we can to make this a success,” Merula said.

“I thought it would just be the three of us.”

“Just three of us? No! If we three charged into the vaults without any backup, that’s suicide!”

“_Possible_ suicide.”

“Not the point, Issy. The point is, Kim, we need to form a large team so we need your help in recruiting as many individuals as we can.”

“But not just any recruits,” Ismelda added, “we need strong-minded and physically fit individuals, and they should be willing to help us and give us intel whenever possible.”

“Strong-minded, fit, willing to give intel, got it,” I listed and nodded. “How are you both so strong-minded and well-informed?”

“When push comes to shove, you need to grow up quickly,” Merula replied.

“Wow,” I remarked.

“Okay, team, unless there are any more questions, meeting adjourned,” Merula slapped her hand on the table as if it were a gavel. “Let’s get to work.”


	9. Recruitment

A week passed, and while it was refreshing to learn new spells from the professors, the thoughts about the cursed vaults lingered in the back of my mind. Merula, Ismelda and I acted as if we weren’t doing anything secret, though looking back, I’m not sure how good a job we did of it. Either way, no one questioned us about anything suspicious.  
Except one blonde pain in the butt.  
Penny Haywood—or Pinhead Haywood as I called her—sure knew how to blabber anyone’s ears off, especially Samuel Morgan’s. Rowan and Ben just stood there watching helplessly like stunned Murtlaps.  
As a side note, I think even then Rowan and Morgan fancied each other. I should know because Rowan was red-faced in every study session we had. Yeah, she really had it bad for him. As for Morgan, when I asked him if he fancied her or not, he would turn as red as his robes and change the subject. It didn’t help that Gryffindors and Ravenclaws were neighbours because often they had to walk to classes together. I didn’t know much about matchmaking but if they didn’t get together sometime in the next few years, I would’ve had to do something about it. And when that time happened, I did.  
Back to the present, I sort of made amends with Millicent and Dara. By ‘sort of,’ I mean I wrapped a handkerchief around Millicent’s tail because she had a sore tail. Dara was surprisingly grateful for that. She hugged Millicent tightly and kissed her. She even let me pat her once or twice. Turns out she had quite a soft heart.  
As for any thoughts on recruiting her, she wasn’t exactly fit. And by that, I mean she was… plump. On top of that, she had been having difficulty mastering Charms, a class I happened to be good at. So, we made a deal: I tutor her on Charms and she tutor me on Transfiguration… and we have treats in every tutoring session in either my dorm or hers.  
On one of those days, I asked Dara how she gave Millicent her name. She told me she had named her after the nurse Millicent Carpenter from the TV show M*A*S*H. It was a show based in war-torn Korea a bit after the Second World War and I didn’t know about it in detail until in later life. Point being, Millicent Carpenter had died before the episode started and it was up to Hawkeye to find out about her since no one knew about her. So, he asked everyone who thought that she had seemed distant and unfriendly when in reality, she was a deeply compassionate person who helped out whenever she could. But she never got up the nerve to let anyone there know it except in her diary which Hawkeye read throughout the episode.  
Dara remembered seeing the episode and crying for two weeks straight because she saw so much of herself in Millicent. It felt weird to me at the time since I had no one to relate to until Merula and Ismelda came along. Back to her story, one Christmas, Dara got a brand-new black kitten from her parents and immediately Millicent’s name popped into her mind. And from that moment on, Dara and Millicent were the closest of friends.  
I think that was when my friendship with Dara started. It turns out you can never fully know someone because even in the most unexpected of moments, they can surprise you. It would take a long time for that lesson to finally sink in though.  
As for other potential recruits, there were a few candidates I thought of asking. Barnaby didn’t have much in brains but he more than made up for it in brawn. Liz would participate if there were animal companions. Rowan would be Head Researcher of everything. Morgan, I wasn’t sure if he would take anything seriously. Bill would definitely be useful since he knew the ins and outs of Hogwarts and he was a Prefect so we would definitely need his intel. Charlie, Andre and Diego a.k.a. the Three Stooges… they could be comic relief but not much else unless they surprised me. Ben is too much of a cowardly lion (worse than the one in The Wizard of Oz). As for Penny, she could go fly somewhere over the rainbow and have a house fall on her.  
“Oof! Oops, sorry, Barn!” I said.  
“Eh, it’s okay, uh, Tammy, right?” Barnaby replied.  
“No, Kim. Nice to meet you,” I said.  
“Oh, okay, Kim-Tammy, what’s going on?”  
“It’s Kim Sala.”  
“Uh… oh, Kim Sala Tammy, right!” Barnaby said with a huge grin.  
“Are you dumber than usual or is this an off day?”  
Barnaby wheezed and slapped his knee. “Oh, Kim! I always thought it’d be fun to prank you like that!”  
It took me a moment to realise what he’d said and I couldn’t help but laugh as well. “Never thought you’d be a prankster.”  
“Oh, sister, you don’t know the half of it! Even me pretending to be dumb is a big prank!”  
“So, you’re not 60 watts; you’re actually 120.”  
“Watt was that?”  
Barnaby and I laughed and laughed.

Later on, I regrouped with Merula and Ismelda and told them about Barnaby and his willingness to help with the vaults. Of course, they had to observe him for themselves because we didn’t just let any Tom, Dick and Mary in on the plot. Professor Snape was not much help in the equation. Sure, if you were in Slytherin, he would raise your marks if you really tried, but not if you were in any other House. One time I worked on a potion with Penny, I got eight marks out of ten while she got five, and we were using the same cauldron. Anyway, the point was Professor Snape was not forgiving when it came to shenanigans. That was if we got caught.  
Speaking of shenanigans, I caught up with Tonks, Tulip and Jae. Since we were already colleagues, I thought their help would much improve our chances with the cursed vaults. But those three had other things in mind.  
“Would helping with the vaults involve any pranks?” Tulip whispered during History of Magic class.  
“If the situation calls for it, yes,” Merula whispered back. “Chances are we’ll need your help in distracting everyone else.”  
Nodding, Tulip licked a chocolate frog but shuddered in disgust when she realised she was holding her pet toad, Dennis. Seeing everyone else’s faces after that was hilarious. Merula looked like a pufferfish, Ismelda snorted almost audibly, Jae bit into his sleeve while trying not to laugh and Tonks, who had no volume control, laughed so hysterically she woke the whole class up. Let’s just say Liz was not happy to have had her beauty sleep disrupted.  
“Good grief, you guys really are a limit!” Liz said through gritted teeth. “Be thankful Professor Binns is deaf otherwise we’d all be in trouble.”  
“No one likes a kiss-up, Tuttle,” Merula replied just as irritably. “Go back to sleep.”  
“How funny since you tried to sell me stuff a week ago,” Liz said before closing her eyes.  
“I swear that—” Merula fumed.  
“Boss, please, the task at hand,” I reminded in a whisper.  
“I know, I know,” she hissed.  
“I know, too,” Barnaby added, but Merula was not in the mood for jokes.  
“Jae, can we rely on you for intel?” Merula asked. Before Jae could answer, Rowan stood up with a book in hand and stood in front of the class.  
“Since Professor Binns is droning on, let me show you how to recount History in a fun way,” she announced.  
“Or better yet, why not I transform into Binns and make fun of him that way?” Tonks proposed. Tons of people cheered at her idea. Well, that shut Rowan right down. I felt kind of bad for her as she returned to her seat while Tonks took over as the fun Binns.  
“Boss, I think we can offer Rowan a job,” I whispered.  
“Hm, bit of a brownnoser, but your point, Kim?” Merula asked with Ismelda leaning in.  
“She can be our Head Researcher. She’s practically a walking library.”  
“Yeah, she can read all the books we don’t wanna read, or in this case, all of them,” Jae joked. Tulip snickered while Ismelda glared at him, stone-faced.  
“What’s wrong, Ismelda?” I asked.  
“I happen to like History of Magic. I sleep because I know a lot of it already,” she replied.  
“Great, if we ever need to know about boring stuff, we’ll let you and Rowan know,” Jae quickly jested. Ismelda was about to take out her wand but I stopped her. Tulip was holding in so much laughter she looked ready to fall on the floor.  
“Ahem, anyway,” I tried to bring everyone back onto the main topic, “so what we’ve got so far are the diversions – that’s Tonks, Tulip and Jae, the planners – that’s Merula, Ismelda and myself, and… muscle man is Barnaby, Head of Research is Rowan and the Three Stooges are the comic relief. So, I think that’s all sorted.”  
“Three Stooges? Kim, who are you talking about?” Merula asked.  
“Charlie, Andre and Diego. Unless you don’t want them,” I hesitated.  
That did it; Tulip burst out laughing as did Jae.  
“Weasley, Egwu and Caplan? Those three nitwits?” Ismelda inquired.  
“Well, Boss did say we needed as many people onboard. I thought…”  
Ismelda’s one-eyed stare tried to convince me to stop talking but somehow my big mouth kept going.  
“I mean Andre can make sure we dress up in sneaky clothes, Diego can provide… feedback on looks and Charlie, well… I have no idea what he’d do.”  
Merula rubbed her chin in thought.  
“Do that any longer, you might grow a beard,” Jae just couldn’t stop himself and I think Tulip nearly pissed herself.  
“Please, stop it, Jae, you’re killing me!”  
“I’ll give you two out of three on that, Kim,” Merula finally spoke. “Andre and Diego can be useful. As for Charlie, the only thing he ever talks about is dragons. And let’s think, let’s just say there will be a dragon. The only way he’d be of any use is if we use him as live bait.”  
“Can’t hurt,” I shrugged.  
“Kim!” Ismelda objected.  
“Okay, okay, I was joking.”  
“You’re right, it can’t hurt,” Merula chimed in.  
Ismelda slapped her own forehead. “Boss, not you, too!”  
“You lot aren’t going anywhere with Charlie,” Liz interjected, making us all look at her. “When it comes to magical creatures, I’m your girl.”  
“Meaning?” I tried to clarify.  
“No, no,” Merula tried to object but Ismelda shushed her.  
“You morons aren’t going into the vaults alone. I want in,” Liz declared.  
I grinned and clapped as quietly as I could. Merula wanted to bang her head against the desk but of course, Ismelda prevented her from doing so. Now all we needed to do was to update Tonks… after she pretended to scratch her bum as Binns.

Since the Three Stooges weren’t in the same class as ours, Merula and Ismelda assigned me the task of tracking them down and convincing them to join. All that talking about expanding the team must’ve expanded my appetite so I had to get to the Great Hall for a bite to eat. I wolfed down two ham and egg sandwiches by dipping them in a bowl of mushroom soup, before each bite of course; the last thing I wanted was a soggy sandwich.  
After I had my hearty meal, I was about to head to the Training Grounds, thinking they’d be there again for a cheap—or should I say free—thrill.  
“Hey, Sala!” an angry voice stopped me in my tracks.  
And who should catch up but Pinhead Haywood?  
“What did I do this time, Haywood?” I rolled my eyes.  
“Why didn’t you tell me about the cursed vaults?” She was all up in my face.  
“Because it’s none of your business?” Way to give yourself away, Kim.  
“Oh, did you not get the memo? My baby sister is gonna come here one day and my parents put me on damage control here.”  
“Am I supposed to believe that?” I asked. That squeaky clean image did not fool me in the slightest. “Also, what’s that got to do with me?”  
“Because if anything happens to my sister in this school, it’ll be everyone’s fault, especially yours. And you don’t want that, do you?” Penny leaned in again. God, what was she trying to do, make me uncomfortable? As for the question, she had me back up against a metaphorical wall; I couldn’t say yes so, I had to let her think she won.  
“No?” I answered, ending on a higher note than expected.  
“Good, ‘cos I want in on the Cursed Vault Club.”  
“What? Are you crazy?” I backed away with my hands in the air. In my head I thought, The Cursed Vault Club? We didn’t call—you know what? I’ll run that by them later unless the club already has a damn name.  
“If I’m crazy, what does that make you lot?”  
Penny crossed her arms and had that smug, stupid look on her face, so stupid I wanted to ask the Stooges for a broom so I could whack her so-pretty-it’s-ugly face with it.  
“Fine, you already know too much anyway,” I said. Well, she was physically fit and strong-minded, but how would I know for sure if she wouldn’t betray us? I was sure Ismelda could think of something when it came to that. What, you didn’t think I thought Merula was the real boss, did you? Even then, I picked up that the real boss was Ismelda. “We gotta find the Three Stooges: Charlie, Larry and Moe. I mean Diego and Andre! What the hell?”  
Penny snorted. “So, you must be the club clown, huh?”  
“Very funny.”


	10. The Cursed Vault Club

You ever get that feeling where you don’t wanna go along with whatever the other person says, but you just weren’t in the mood to fight? Well, I had that when I begrudgingly let Penny follow me to recruit the Three Stooges. Fighting would’ve blown our cover anyway.  
Now before you think I’m weird—which is kinda useless now since I was weird then and am even weirder now—I started muttering to myself and I couldn’t shut up. “Okay, where the fuck are those three numbskulls? How fucking hard can it be to find those little creeps?” Yeah, I was going like that.  
“Sala, I’m so gonna tell on you for swearing,” Little Miss Brat Bitch warned.  
“Might as well tell on the whole fuckin’ neighbourhood then, sweet cheeks.” Fuck me, even though I didn’t mean to be, I was such a little shit. Y’see, when my mind starts wandering, my mouth does, too. But you already know that.  
“What did you just call me?” L.M.B.B. looked about ready to scream, not that I was looking.  
“Just shut up and help me find ‘em. Oh, and if you rat on us, you’re guilty by association,” I said while approaching the Training Grounds. Took a few more steps before I realized they weren’t there. That was when I turned around to head to the Courtyard.  
“Meaning?” Penny said while trying to keep up.  
“Are you dumb? You wanted in on this so you’re with us now.”  
Sure enough, we found the Courtyard and those three zombies were playing Gobstones and Noughts and Crosses at the same time, and drawing quite a crowd, too.  
“You’ve gotta be kidding me,” I couldn’t help but say.  
“These are the three you were looking for?” Penny asked skeptically.  
I thought for a bit. I observed each one of them bouncing the red marble on the floor then quickly drawing x’s and o’s on the floor with chalk. Maybe those three were smarter than I gave them credit for. After all they did sneak out and took brooms for a joyride without getting caught (unless I missed Hooch tattooing their butts with her boots – trust me, they’re really hard).  
No sooner had I thought that did Diego hold Charlie’s hand down long enough for him to miss the red marble so Andre could draw the final x then a line.  
“BINGO!” Andre cheered with his hands in the air.  
“Even though he cheated?” I asked.  
“Only rule here: Nobody gets a fair win in Graughts,” Diego replied.  
“If we did, it would be boring,” Charlie chimed in.  
I nodded. Not bad. What if instead of just comic reliefs, I promoted them to the Distractions team?  
“Hey, guys. I got an idea for you,” I said after the crowd dispersed.  
“Yeah? What’s in it for us?” Charlie asked.  
“What if I told you you could play all the tricks in the world consequence-free?”  
“We’ve been holding our own so far. Right, guys?” Diego said and hugged both Charlie and Andre close.  
“I mean, what if you got to put those tactics to use?” Penny tried to persuade. They all looked at her skeptically.  
“Good use?” I added. “Don’t you have any other goals?”  
“Have a million girlfriends!” Diego said with a puffed-up chest, finally letting go of Andre and Charlie.  
I had half a mind to write a song about him right there and then. It would’ve gone something like, “No one fights like Diego, breaks up fights like Diego, no one starts up even more fights like Diego.” Sounds oddly specific, right? Well, that’s because some twat stole my idea and published it into a song for an asinine kid’s movie ten years later. Not bitter about that just so you know.  
“Ladies love brave men,” I continued.  
“Which is why the Cursed Vault Club is waiting to recruit you,” Penny interrupted, which kind of annoyed me a bit.  
“The Cursed Vault Club?” Andre repeated. “What’s that?”  
“It’s been said the legendary cursed vaults are nearby and we need to save the others trapped in there so we can—”  
“Live the life of luxury?” Diego asked.  
“Ride on the backs of dragons?” Charlie asked.  
“Wear super fantastic clothing all while facing the jaws of death?” Andre added.  
“All of the above!” I answered just to please them all. And of course, they all cheered and hugged each other.  
“You know they’re gonna find out you lied, right?” Penny whispered to me.  
“Not if they die first,” I whispered back.  
“You’ll have their parents to answer to.”  
“Not if I get rid of all the evidence leading to me, starting with you.”  
“You wouldn’t,” Penny leaned in.  
“I can and I will,” I did, too, touching noses with her even though this was supposed to be an enemy moment.  
“Kim and Penny sitting on a broom!” Charlie sang. “S-N-O-G-G-I-N-G! First comes hate, then comes marriage, then come dragons in a baby carriage!”  
Penny glared daggers at him. “Sing that one more time and I’ll give you an atomic wedgie!”  
Charlie just laughed and rejoined his buddies.  
“Someday, I’ll learn the Bat-Bogey Hex,” she muttered. “I’ll give him bogies so bad they will last until next Christmas!”  
“Oh, boy…” I muttered, too.

I had a real tough job ahead of me keeping those four apart, which I didn’t. It really wasn’t my job; it was Ismelda’s. I have to say, when she’s really riled, she’ll twist your ears so hard they’ll look like beetroots for weeks. In fact, Charlie got an atomic wedgie from her when he teased Ismelda and Penny. It was so bad he had to see Madam Pomfrey. The story behind that: Penny was being an insufferable twit during meetings with her endless cynical remarks about Merula’s plans and how “impossible” they were. Ismelda tried to quiet her down but that just made Penny voice her opinions even more loudly. That ticked Ismelda off pretty quick and it eventually got to the point where they were literally sizing each other up for a fight. I covered my face and Barnaby his ears while his eyes were tightly shut.  
Merula kept glaring at me for having brought her into the club in the first place, but what could I have done? None of us knew how to cast Obliviate then. Merula did ask Ismelda to put Obliviate on the list of Top Priority Spells shortly after, but Penny still stayed because we didn’t want to risk anything.  
Tonks and Tulip tried to help us all cool off by offering us sweets in every meeting, which helped me at least, but we all knew Merula was at her wit’s end judging by how frequently she rubbed her temples in frustration. I wanted to help her but Ismelda said she would take care of it. All I could do was look on helplessly regarding that.

Things weren’t any better in the dorm. In fact, when we were all in bed during lights out, I could hear Merula sobbing quietly. I knew Ismelda usually comforted her, but on this one occasion, Ismelda was fast asleep. The moon was shining really brightly that night. Could it have been midnight? I wasn’t sure. Either way, I had to check if she was alright. So, slowly I got out of bed and approached her.  
“Um…” I said, not realizing until the last minute that she could hear me and she covered her head with the blanket.  
“What?” she asked sharply then sniffled.  
“I’m…” I had to make my piece. I had to do it then. “I’m sorry things didn’t go as planned.”  
“Yeah, sure, Sala. Leave me alone.”  
Then I felt I was just standing there, looking like a fool. “Should I wake Ismelda up?”  
“No. Don’t bother.”  
“Why?”  
She wouldn’t answer.  
“Merula, is there anything I can do?”  
Again, no answer. I don’t know what went through my mind that night that made me think the next thing I should do was sit on her bed. But I did and that made Merula rise up suddenly, taking the blanket off her head in the process.  
“Kim, what’re you doing?” she asked angrily, her puffed-up red eyes reminding me of why I decided to approach then instead of in the morning.  
“Merula…” I began while wringing my hands, “I know how frustrating this must be. I know I shouldn’t have brought Penny in but I didn’t have a choice. If I’d known she’d be such a distraction, I wouldn’t have let her in.”  
“You think the reason I’m crying is because of that?” Merula wiped her face. “I don’t care about Penny.”  
“What do you want me to do then?” I asked. Merula looked at me for a brief whle then lifted her pillow and showed me the photo underneath it. In that photo was a younger her with pigtails and there were two middle-aged women behind her. One was a splendid beauty with curled dark brown locks and an angular face with thin red lips. The other was average, blonde and had long braids and a pink-striped dress. “Who are they?”  
“The people I’m fighting for,” she said while looking away.  
“The people you’re fighting for?”  
“Sylvia and Deedee. My grandparents.”  
I was still lost. She must have sensed that.  
“They always liked going on adventures together. There wasn’t a country they would leave unvisited. But when they got back home, they decided to explore the cursed vaults and vanished. My parents refused to talk about them.”  
“So you made the club to find them.”  
Merula nodded. “Not just them. Ismelda’s lost someone, too.”  
“Who?”  
“Aliesande. Remember, her sister?”  
“Yeah.”  
“She was working with the Ministry when she caught wind about the cursed vaults possibly being real. Then one night, she just left a note saying she would come back soon. She never did.”  
“But… But I thought Ismelda hated her.”  
“Ismelda never means things like that. Yes, she and Aliesande may have had a complicated relationship and it was true their parents favoured her more. But when you get right down to it, they’re still sisters.”  
“I… I can never understand that.”  
“Why not?”  
“Jacob and I have never been on good terms. Mother loved him heaps and well, Father… we do talk sometimes but sometimes it’s just silence.”  
“Why?”  
“I dunno, sometimes we just sit next to each other and say nothing but at the same time, I dunno, it feels like we’re talking in a way.”  
Merula just looked at me as if a sense of calm had washed over her. “Thanks.”  
“Thanks? For what?”  
“You could’ve easily not talked to me, you know?”  
“Uh, I guess? That kinda did come to mind,” I said before looking at Merula chuckling softly. “Um, you’re welcome?”  
“Get some sleep, Sala. We got work in the morning,” she said before playfully pushing me off her bed, ending the meeting on a high note. I went back to bed with a smile on my face.  
“Finally, I thought we’d never get any sleep,” Liz remarked groggily.


End file.
